Wednesday, August 30, 2006

The British police charged three more people on Tuesday with major terrorism and conspiracy counts after this month's alert over what the police described as a plot to bomb airliners flying from Britain to the United States. The charges brought to 11 the number of people accused of conspiring to murder and to bomb airplanes flying to the United States — the most serious charges brought against the suspects embroiled in the alleged conspiracy. The police announced the charges separately, saying early Tuesday evening that a man identified as Nabeel Hussain had been charged with conspiracy to murder and planning to smuggle ''improvised explosive devices onto aircraft and assemble and detonate them on board.'' As with the other suspects, Mr. Hussain, 22, had earlier been held without charge under British counterterrorism laws. Several hours later, the police said two men identified as Mohammed Yasar Gulzar and Mohammed Shamin Uddin had been charged with the same offenses. Mr. Gulzar's name had not previously been made public in the inquiries that led to a huge roundup of suspects on Aug. 10 and set off a terror alert in Britain and the United States.